


Auto by Betts

by Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 22:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18108056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities/pseuds/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities
Summary: Bughead oneshot. I do not own the comics or show.





	Auto by Betts

Betty Cooper. Perfect girl-next-door. Good doer. Rule follower. Those three statements seemed to sum her up in a nutshell. With the formidable Alice Cooper as her mother, how could she be anything less than perfect? She couldn't. Alice Cooper didn't settle for less than the best. That's why, as soon as she turned eighteen, Betty was out of her hometown and in the city, far away from her mother's prying eyes and hurtful words.

Betty was a runner. A runner and a planner. Every time she planned of any kind, she ran towards it with an end goal in mind. Better grades? Study harder. Better friend? Offer even more of her skin for them to use as tissues during their turmoil. She was a planner; no ifs, ands, or buts. The city couldn't change that if it wanted to. Nothing could change that. Not even the little moons that littered her palms whenever a plan went south or her mother spewed out hateful words.

Staring down at her palms, Betty counted five fresh indentations on each palm; it had been a rough morning. She was awoken by a rather irate Alice Cooper, who proceeded to ask, no, demand her to come home for a weekend. Polite as ever, Betty let her mother know that yes, while missing her, she would, most unfortunately, not be able to make it home any time soon. While her self-harming habits hadn't left her, they did tend to diminish more so in the city. She could only suspect that was because she was away from the stone-cold glare of her mother.

After that particular unwanted thirty-minute phone call, Betty realized she was running late. Hurrying to get dressed, Betty slid into a pair of jeans and a tank top with a flannel tied around her waist. If she didn't step to, she was going to be late in getting to the garage. Her garage. She still marveled at the fact that two years in the city and she owned her very own garage. Being a mechanic was as soothing as spending an hour in her therapist's office and she couldn't be more grateful.

Grabbing a bagel to go, she ran out the door and towards her car that was parked on the street right outside of her complex. Then, she was on her way to her job, worries far from mind.

XXX

The garage was in full service by the time she got there. She spotted her number one mechanic, and best friend, sitting underneath the hood of one of the cars, tinkering around with it.

"Toni," Betty called, and the pink-haired beauty slid out from underneath the car. Betty chuckled at the smudge of grease on her cheek.

"Betty," the woman chirped, flashing her a grin. "We've got a new customer waiting to speak to you about something on his car."

Betty nodded, hurriedly going to deposit her stuff in her office. Then, she walked out to the front parking lot, looking around for someone who might look like they needed her help.

"Are you Ms. Cooper?" A voice asked, and Betty turned. Holy. Fuck. This man was beautiful.

"Uh, Ms. Cooper is my mother. It's just Betty," she replied, holding out to hold a hand to shake.

"Jughead," he replied, shaking her hand firmly. She quirked her lips a bit at his name but didn't say anything. "Yeah, it's a mouthful."

"It's fine," she said. "What are you in for?"

"Oh, my brakes aren't working properly," he said. She looked around at all the cars in the lot.

"Which one is yours'?"

"This one," he said, jerking his head to a motorcycle at the end of the row. She whistled lowly.

"Nice ride," she murmured appreciatively, eyes on the bike.

"Thanks," he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked decidedly uncomfortable, she realized. Nodding her head, she made her way over to his bike, inspecting it.

"Well, I can change the brakes for you, no problem," she assured him, and he sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Betty. Cheryl said you were the best," he said, and she looked at him in surprise.

"Cheryl, as in Cheryl Blossom? Toni's girlfriend?" Betty asked, curiosity piqued. He nodded.

"Yeah, we know each other," he offered.

"How? I usually know a lot of Cheryl's friends," Betty commented in mild surprise, wondering how Toni had never mentioned Cheryl knowing someone named Jughead.

"We're not actually friends; more like we knew each other from school and she happened to know you through Toni so suggested I come see you about my brakes," he said, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, business is business. I'll have to thank her. Also, give me until about one and your bike should be ready," she added, and he quirked an eyebrow.

"So soon?" Jughead asked, and it was her turn to quirk her own eyebrow.

"Don't underestimate me, Jughead," she said, smirk toying at her lips. He flushed, and she found herself being partial to the color radiating off him. Laughing softly, she made her way to the bike. "Again, I'll see you at one."

XXX

By the time one came around, Betty had not only the brakes fixed but she had worked on a few other things she noted being off about the bike. Just as she was wheeling it back outside, Jughead came walking in.

"Right on time," he greeted, and she smiled.

"I'm a woman of my word, Jughead," she replied.

"How much do I owe you?" Jughead asked. She thought about it.

"Since Cheryl recommended us to you, it's on the house. Just, make sure to keep the recommendation going forward," she commented.

He looked at her, small grin playing at his lips. "Do you like coffee?"

"I love coffee," she whispered, knowing where this was going.

"Then, since the hard work is free, at least let me buy you a cup?" Jughead asked, and she nodded.

She untied her flannel and placed her arms in it, before whistling to get Toni's attention.

"Hey, T, I'll be back later. Handle the floor?" Betty asked, and Toni saluted her, before going back to changing the oil on a Mercedes.

Betty hopped on the back of Jughead's bike after he got situated, trusting him to get them there in one piece at the least.

XXX

The coffee house he took them to was one of her favorite ones; quiet and quaint, it never steered her wrong when she was looking for a place to just think some things through.

After getting both their coffees, Jughead led her to a booth in the back and they sat down.

"How long have you been a mechanic, Betty?" Jughead asked.

She took a sip of her coffee. "Since I moved to the city two years ago. However, I've loved working on cars long before then. I used to work on them with my dad."

"Used to?" Jughead asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"When my parents got a divorce, we really didn't do things like that with each other anymore. He was busy being a single parent and I was busy trying to help him manage living on his own," she said.

"I'm sorry," Jughead said softly.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't be. Old wounds."

They stayed and talked for the remainder of her lunch hour. When he dropped her back off at the garage, he paused.

"This might be forward but do you think…," he began, but she was already uncapping a pen from her pocket and writing her number on his muscular arm.

"Don't lose it," she winked, and he grinned. Then, his bike roaring to life, he was gone, and Betty was left to be met with her best friend's smirk.

XXX

Jughead Jones became a light in Betty's life. He wormed his way into her heart, past all of her guarded exteriors, and simply didn't give a damn the kind of relationship, (or, lack thereof), she had with her mother.

"You know it's not your fault, right? That she doesn't know how to love properly?" Jughead whispered one night when they were tangled in her sheets, legs intertwined. She brought her lips up to his and brushed them across them once, twice, three times before laying her head on his chest.

"You're a good man, Juggie," she said softly. He locked his fingers against her back and dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"I promise, things will be better with me," he assured.

And, perhaps it wasn't enough to heal all the old wounds hidden underneath the surface, but it was a start. And that was good enough for her.

Author's note: Just a short one. I liked the idea of Betty being a mechanic. Enjoy. Xxx


End file.
